Shepard sisters The Early years
by Tak Shepard
Summary: Shepard talks to Jack about her rocky Past. Her sister, and her life as an earth born war hero.
1. Shepard Sisters the early years

Shepard stood in her room, the music blared and she shed her armour. The mission to Purgatory had been more than she expected. Warden Kurils' betrayal had just strengthened Shepard's resolve. She had never trusted the Blue Suns, and she loathed any one who worked for the highest bidder. Still ,it was stupid on his behalf to attack her and her friends. The Illusive Man was keeping her busy, so from Purgatory it was straight on to Horizon. Nothing had hurt more than Kaidan's words, as she thought about it she felt ill. She had been shot, beaten, suffocated and had burned through atmospheric re-entry, but nothing had hurt like what he had said to her that day.

Shepard was tired, she was angry and lonely. The Normandy was different now, new crew; new tech. This Subject Zero character was the newest addition to the crew, picked up just before Horizon – it was obvious the Cerberus loyalist Miranda didn't like her. Subject Zero, Jack, had demanded Cerberus top secret files, Shepard had reluctantly agreed at the time, using it to get to know the troubled young lady. This had caused animosity between the commander and her second, and though the cat fight was over and Miranda's temper cooled, Shepard thought it best to try to help Jack see reason.

The hold was warm, dark. Jack was right, there was no through traffic, only two crew members were stationed down here and they stayed with the engine. The quiet hum of the ships core was soothing to Shepard. Everything was different, the crew, the missions, but the ship still sounded the same. The soul of the Normandy was in tact. The thought comforted Shepard.

It had only been a few months since she had woken from the Lazarus project. Her life had just been expected to continue from where it had left off, there was still the fighting and the blood shed, but people were missing. Ashley, a fellow female, soldier and friend. Liara, a young asari intellectual. Wrex, noble and strong, and of course Kaidan. Her heart was heavy thinking about her old friends. Having Joker, Garrus and Tali aboard eased the pain, but Ashley was dead, and Kaidan was lost to her while she was working for Cerberus.

"What do you want," came the rough voice from the cot in the corner of the hold. She was snarky, strong willed. Shepard could almost feel the emotional armour the young woman protected herself with. She reminded her of her sister, the strength of character, the determination. Jack had a sharp tongue though. It had been a long time since thoughts of Svenja had formed in her mind.

Shepard sighed "I get it. You play the bitch card; you're scared, you wanna push me away. I'm only here to help." Jack stood up, face to face with Shepard. "I don't play the bitch card, I AM the bitch." Shepard didn't budge, her hands interlinked behind her back, she stared stony eyed. Jack paced back and forward. "I'm grateful that you gave me those files but don't think this makes me want to be your friend."

Shepard smiled internally, outwardly she shrugged. "Its up to you, I'm here if you want to talk." Jacks temper flared again. "If I want to talk? What the hell do I want to talk to you for? You think you can help my problems? You think you can relate to me? You don't know me!"

"You're right." Shepard relaxed her position. "I just thought," she hesitated. "No, no; never mind." She turned for the stairs, her hand lingered on the banister the vibrations running through the metal in into her body. She shook her head and headed up.

"Why are you doing all this? People usually walk by now," Jack's voice called to her. "If you want something just go ahead and fucking say it."

Shepard turned slowly. "What would I want from you, Jack? Biotics? I've got my own."

"Every one wants something Shepard." She said darkly.

"Oh, you're thinking sex." Shepard laughed, "no thank you, I can't really say you're my type." She looked the girl in the eye, dark brown irises meeting cold blue ones. "You're messed up kid; I just thought I could give you a hand."

"Me a hand." Jack cackled. "If any one needs help its you Shepard. I was on Horizon, I heard what that jackoff Alenko said to you, and you just stood there and took it."

"You're in a territory you know nothing about." Shepard's voice wavered, she hadn't talked to any one about what had happened on Horizon. Jack and Miranda were both there, so they were the only ones that knew what was said. No doubt every one would have heard by now, it's a small ship and the comm systems are good. These days no one confronted her about her feelings. Shepard internalized everything, mulled everything over. When she was younger she could scream and yell and beat against the wall and Svenja would shout back. They both had so much anger and frustration at their situation. The arguments that they had...two fiery red heads having a shouting match, it didn't matter where or when, in the middle of battle or alone late at night. The military didn't work like that. Shepard had learned to hold her tongue, to listen, and how to speak quietly. It always got your point across, but it didn't feel as satisfying.

"Seriously, if that were me I would have torn him a new one. You just backed down like a coward. What was he to you, a quick fuck?"

"Seriously, you should stop there." Shepard's face looked calm but the rage underneath was brewing. She knew the girl was pushing her into a fight. Like Svenja would, she could tell when she needed a good fight, blow the pressure.

"Well to you anyway, I could tell by the tone he cared a little more. Tell me Shepard, do you have any feelings under there? Or you just a Cerberus puppet?" Jack tapped Shepard's forehead sharply.

Shepard smacked her hand out of the way. " I said SHUT UP SVENJA".

Both women grew silent. Shepard sighed she sat down on the metal steps. "God damn it," she whispered, rubbing her face with her hand. Jack was taken aback. In the few conversations she'd had with Shepard, she had never yelled. "Who is Svenja?" she asked quietly.

Shepard looked up. For once the cold steel eyes looked soft, and Shepard looked vulnerable.

"Svenja Shepard is," she paused, "or was, my sister. Jack if I tell you about her, I'm telling you something I haven't told anyone. Ever."

Jack sat down on the table across from her. "What, two little rich kids getting up to mischief?"

Shepard smiled a small knowing smile. "If only," She said finally. "Svenja and I grew up on earth. It was a crazy place, over populated, over farmed, one great big melting pot of scum and derelict ideas."

"Sounds like my kind of place."

Shepard laughed, "it would have been. We were like you are. The world was our oyster, we were known as the Crimson Storm. When we struck a place, no one knew what hit them. We took what we wanted, did what we wanted. We were young and thought we were untouchable."

"Your parents supported this?" Jack asked, genuinely curious. Her own lack of adult guidance had led to her eventual down fall as a decent human being. She'd assumed every one but her had some.

"What parents? I don't know if they worked, or just didn't like us; we barely saw them in the day to day and then they just disappeared. I was 14, Svenja 12 almost 13. From there we found the Reds."

"This explains the Crimson Storm," Jack smiled. "Shepard, you should have told me you were a gang babe."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "The Tenth Street Reds aren't exactly the group of choice for teaching the first human spectre how to live. In fact my entire career, I've been forcefully reminded NOT to let that little fact slip. Drugs, gang fights, child prostitution...no one wants to hear about that. So as far as the alliance Navy is concerned, we didn't have a life until we joined the service." Shepard rested her elbows on her knees. "And it was a life."

"Tak?" Svenja called out from her small bed room. "Tak, are you here?"

She had come home to a quiet, empty house. Tak's jacket lay on the table, she knew she was home. Svenja had to get ready for work. She picked up a couple of the model ships that Tak collected and put them back on the table. She didn't mind picking up after her sister, she wasn't that bad normally. Lately she had become forgetful, distracted even. Getting half way through something and losing interest. Svenja herself was more focused, probably the more mature out of the two. Her hobby corner was neat and organised, her furniture tidy and clean. If Tak had her way she would have had a cardboard box on the floor and a shelf for her ships. "Minimalist" was an understatement when it came to her sister. She took her smokes out of her pocket and lay them on the table, next to a ship of her sister's.

Tak quickly put the Hellex tab on her tongue. The last of her red hair fell into the sink. The short spiky crew cut felt good against her fingers. Her lip hurt, it was beginning to swell around the cut.

"Tailyka Shepard!"

"Yeah I'm here, don't get your panties twisted," she called back, dusting the hair off her body and joining her sister. "What do you need?"

"I need help with this dress." Svenja pulled her hair up and out of the way of the zip. The soft fabric clung to her body. It clung even more when the zip was done up.

"Do you have a job tonight?"

Svenja looked at herself in the mirror. She finished her make up, and positioned the ringlets of flame red hair over her shoulders. 'Smouldering temptress' was the look she was going for, and she thought she achieved the effect. "Some one has to earn the money," she said finally.

"I'm the oldest. It should be me. I could go back."

Svenja laughed. "With your bedside manner? No, thank you."

Tak looked at the image of her sister in the mirror. She didn't look like the child Tak always thought she was. She looked so grown up with make up on.

"Svenja, how are you comfortable with this?" she asked. "You're 15."

"You've killed three people, how are you comfortable with that?" Came the clipped response.

Svenja turned to her older sister, finally looked at her. "What's all this then?" She said, pulling at the short tufts of cut hair. "You've cut it again. And look at your face." Every day Tak got a little bit worse, another cut here a bruise there; then there was this new compulsion to keep her hair very short.

Tak pulled away. "Alright, I was a little slow. But that Asari bitch cheated. Shockwave is not allowed."

"Fighting?" Svenja exclaimed. "If I could stop you doing anything..."

Her sentence trailed as Tak cut her off. "It was fine, I got her. Just caught a brick to the face from the shockwave. God, I got sloppy." She shook her head. She appeared to be talking to herself more than her sister. "Two rounds, Ja. Two rounds, she was a commando and I beat her. I guess you gotta be good at something right?"

Svenja was saddened by what she saw. Tak was strong, both of them were, but their past was starting to eat away at her.

"You used to be such a pretty girl."

Tak stopped. "Don't say that," she said. "Don't ever say that. I'm not." She knocked Svenja's hand away from her hair. The room went quiet, you could cut the tension with a knife.

Tak sighed and poked at the big split in her lip, looking at herself in the mirror. Another scar to add to the collection, that was three on the face. Svenja took a swing at lightening the mood. "By the way dear sister. I'm 16 now."

Tak laughed. "In my mind you will forever be ten." She smiled. "Little sister."

Svenja stood up, lording her height over her elder sister. The heels helped. "Yes, big sister."

Tak rolled her eyes and shoved her playfully, "Just take care of yourself 'right?" She ran her hands back through her hair then chewed on her thumb nail.

"But that's what you're for." They both laughed. It was good to.

Tak sat in the lounge of their small but overly furnished apartment. The hellex had taken effect, she felt like if she tried she could listen to the wind breathe. Sadly she couldn't hear it over the shouting of some of the other tenants, or the gun fire, the sirens or the general sounds of Earth. She spun her gun around in her fingers occasionally holding it to her head, squeezing the trigger and hearing the click of an empty barrel. Bored was the word floating back and forward through her brain.

She got a call, moving as soon as the first note sung out across the room.

"Tak?"

"Yes?"

"I've got a job." The voice was deep, gruff; it was their boss. She hesitated for a minute, the sadness in Svenja's eyes lingered in her, this was no doubt not something that she would approve of.

"It pays two thousand credits," he said, his voice breaking her thought patterns.

"No shit?" She gasped, "That's enough to get a girl excited. Meet you at the hub?"

"You know the drill, kid."

He disconnected. Tak grabbed her keys, jacket and some ammo. What Ja doesn't know wont hurt her. The door shut behind her with a loud clunk as the lock slid into place. She didn't take a second look at the place, she should have. She should have memorised exactly where everything was, how everything was. Her mind was on the money, the thought of having enough to book a ship out of there. To join some colony, go to school, get a job, have a life - more importantly, have a life both sisters could enjoy. She zipped up her coat and stuck her hands in her pockets, the Tenth Street Reds insignia blazing on her back meant that through this part of town she could move freely. No on pissed off a red on their own turf.

She walked through the bar that was known as the Hub. It was gang owned, every one knew it, no one did anything about it. She moved through the front and out to the back through the kitchen and into the den of wolves. Her boss sat there. Like a fat cat who got all the cream, plus the canary, he was a player, a pimp, a merc, a business man. This was his life, this was his world. Tak shut the door behind her as she entered.

"I have a hand off I want you to help with." He knocked the girl off his lap and pointed to an envelope to give to her. "I think you could go places in this business. You and your sister are very talented young women."

Tak held her hand up, "You don't have to grease the wheel, I'm already going to do it." She scratched her hand.

"But I want you to be warned, I'm going to have the shipment counted, so don't get any ideas."

"What do you mean?" She said, still scratching her hand. It had become raw and bloody without her noticing.

"It's Hellex." He said flatly. "We're making a trade with the Suns and I don't want anything going square."

Tak stopped her eyes grew wide. "The Blue Suns?" She suddenly felt the urge to be some where far away, and quickly. "Why the hell are they dealing on earth? Don't they like the terminus system? Skyllian verge?"

Her boss smiled. "You know your stuff."

"Unlike a lot of your staff, I can actually read."

He laughed heartily "they have had a change in leadership recently, broadening their horizons."

Tak swallowed the lump in her throat. "Ok I'll do it. But I want three, not two," The room went silent. "and I want you to pay me now."

Tak stood at the dock, she couldn't believe big boss went for it. She watched as three thousand credits transfused into her bank account. She watched the mostly batarian force in their shining blue armour unload their cargo. A cold wind blew; her heart was beating a million miles a minute. No one else seemed nervous save her. She just had a bad feeling in her gut. The night was quiet, everyone was friendly, she was suspicious. Sure her Hellex addiction could have gotten to the point of paranoia, but that didn't mean she wasn't wrong. After the job was completed, product changed hands, she shook the hand of the batarian who lead the crew. She even smiled and thanked him for doing business with her. After all, she was getting paid three grand for the job.

The Reds began to leave, the Suns lingered. She pretended to walk away, but shimmied up a drain pipe and onto a nearby balcony. She listened in, laying in wait just out of view.

"So, any good bars around here?" One Sun said to the other.

"Don't ask me, I hate this place." The other scoffed, "the sooner we're off here and away from those humans the better. Can't stand them. Did you smell them?"

The first laughed. "Well you were the slaver, I guess you saw the worst of them."

"And once we hit the Scarlet Hotel you'll know all about them."

The other laughed. "Oh, I am looking forward to that, a good bit of rape and pillaging. And the Reds think they have made it into the big time."

Tak rolled onto her back "Jesus Mary and Joseph." She whispered. The Scarlet was the Reds' biggest business, the brothel was at least ten stories high, with a casino in the middle. Every one who wasn't at the Hub was there. Svenja was there.

Her roll had dislodged a piece of brick work from the balcony she was lying on, and as the small piece fell to the ground at the two Sun mercenary's feet they looked up.

"Someone's up there."

Tak froze. "Fuck it," she swore.

"Get down now."

There was no way out but down or up. Up the side of the building left her vulnerable for attack. She stood, hands in the air. "There's no need to be too rash about this," she began as she perched herself on the edge, making a clear shot between her and the two Suns.

"It's that kid from before."

Tak rolled her eyes, there was no use arguing. "Yes, it is. But now I'm sorry, 'cos I really have to run."

She leapt from the balcony and landed feet first, her favourite combat boots square in the face of the first batarian, forcing him to the ground with her weight. She sprinted, one sun was left, but that wasn't the problem at hand. She heard him radio his team, she heard him push forward the raid. As she ran away from the scene she knew how this was going to go down, but there was only one thought on her mind. Get to Svenja.

Behind her they were mounting an attack, every where she looked she swore she saw blue and not red. Through side streets, behind and over buildings, she didn't just run she sprinted. Then she saw it, the front door. Her heart burned as she looked at the bouncer.

"Gill, let me in!" She panted, "We need… to get…" she just couldn't get the words out. "everyone out. I need to get Svenja out."

The bouncer Gill looked worried for the girl, "Catch your breath, Tak."

She shook her head, "No time. The suns, they're coming."

At that he laughed. "We just did a deal with them, their leader was talking to boss about more trade. You're paranoid again, kid."

She pushed forward. " I just need to get Svenja then."

He put his arm in the way. "She's in a job and boss man says you're not allowed in after last time."

Tak bellowed and pushed against the large bouncer one more time before she was tossed out on her ass. She stood up, the adrenaline surging through her body, instantly sobering her up. She rounded the side of the building to the fire exit. More than one way up.

If Tak knew anything, with that dress, Svenja was seeing a high paying client. That meant penthouse. Good, because it was the only one on that level; bad, because that level was at the top and she had to shimmy her way up the fire exits and across the building to get up there.

She was nearing the top and she looked down, she could make out a fight, she didn't know if it had made it inside yet or not. She prayed that it hadn't gotten too far.

She peered inside the penthouse window. "Svenja?" she called out.

Her sister gasped and pulled open the window. "Tak! What the fuck, you cant be here, get…"

Tak shook her head, grabbed her sister's hand and headed for the door.

"Tak! Talk to me!" Her sister yelled, pulling her hand out of her grip, "What the hell is this?"

"Shit is going down, Ja. There is a full scale assault happening on the Scarlet right now."

For a moment it was hard to read her sister's face, Tak pulled open the door. "So we have to go, right now."

The door to the penthouse bathroom opened. Svenja's client walked out, the middle aged man looked confused. Tak saw an opportunity. "You're some kind of politician, right?" she said, recognising his face from broadcasts. "Udina, right?" Her brow furrowed and she licked her teeth. "Give me all your credits. every last one that you have on you."

"Tak?" Svenja questioned, not disturbed by the fact her sister had an idea about robbing a john.

"Well, when he finds out that you're only sixteen I doubt he's going to go to the cops." She turned back to Udina in his next to nothings and pulled the gun out of her pants. "I said NOW."

The two girls sprinted down the hall with a fist full of credits each. "What's your plan, Tak."

Tak laughed a little, "I was thinking of just winging it."

The lights were flickering on and off, shadows of mercenaries were flitting down the halls.

"If the power goes out we go into lock down," Svenja said, "we won't get anywhere."

The lifts were out of order anyway, so the stairs were the only option. Svenja grabbed Tak's hand, " do you have another one of those?" she asked, nodding at Tak's pistol.

Tak saw the shadow of the merc as they were talking, he was coming up the hall that joined to theirs, rifle to the front, she paused for a minute then grabbed the barrel, pulling it forward and pulling him off balance. With her left hand she pistol whipped him in the face, he fell to the ground a mix of shock and concussion stunning him for a moment. "I do now," she said, handing the rifle to her sister.

Svenja kicked off her heels and tore the bottom off of her dress so she could run if need be. "Pass me your knife."

With the blade was in hand, she took to the alarm console nearest them. "Lock down will be a pain in the ass, but I figure," she said, now putting the knife in her mouth as she fiddled with some wires, "if I block off only some of the levels we won't have to deal with anyone." She put the cover back on and looked at her sister. "You don't plan to hang around after this, do you?"

Tak sheathed her knife and put it back in her pocket. She wriggled out of her jacket and checked the clip on her gun. "I've got three grand in the bank about one and a half in hand. We're out of this place and gone."

Svenja smiled. "So we can burn a few bridges?"

"Sister, I suggest we burn them all."

The girls took to the stairs, taking out mercs as they went. The reds left them alone, so out of courtesy, they left them alone.

Tak took point - she was a heavy hitter, a front woman, where Svenja with the rifle and the evening dress was better suited to picking them off from a distance. Her eye was sharp and her aim true.

Tak jumped a flight of stairs to slam a merc against a wall, the turian spat insults at her all the while she beat him. Svenja peered down, she caught a glimpse of blue, and another sun was coming up behind Tak. In a heartbeat her rifle was to her side, the shot aimed and taken. Tak turned around to see the head of the sneaking merc explode before her.

A crimson storm blew through the scarlet hotel that night. No one stood a chance. They made it to the kitchen - it was on the first level, the car park being the ground floor. Suns had the area well controlled, both girls took cover. They waited for an opening. Their way down safely was blocked, but there was always the window. Big boss had been taken from the hub, brought here for negotiations. The leader of the suns was shouting - neither Shepard was paying too close attention. Tak spied the gas tank for the ovens. She signalled her sister to them and then motioned to her to stand by the window.

She stood up, Svenja joining her. "Hey BOSS!" she yelled overtop of the suns leader. "I would just like you to know, I never liked working for you."

The sisters smiled. "See you in hell, fucknuts!" Svenja crowed, and then shot and pierced the gas tank. Tak struck her lighter, tossed it toward the seeping gas and they both leapt out the window. The final leap of faith as both sisters fell the final storey into the dumpster. The building exploded around them. They could hear the sirens, but they couldn't care less. That part of their life was over, literally in pieces behind them. The sisters laughed in relief.

"What the hell do we do now?" Svenja asked, trying to pull herself up from the cardboard and packaging that had enveloped her.

Tak looked up, hauling herself up on the side of the dumpster to a seated position, thankful that the dumpster wasn't full of anything more disgusting. Literally in the lowest place they had ever been, she looked up and saw a sign. It read, "The sword is drawn, the navy upholds it."

"Alliance navy?" she turned to her sister. "After all, we do kick ass."


	2. Shepard Sisters Life, Love, Graduation

Shepard sighed, the first part of her story told. Jack was intrigued. "Did you really blow up the Scarlet Hotel?"

Shepard laughed nervously at that one. "Well, we only intended on blowing that one level...but chain reaction and all, you know."

The young woman laughed. "And here I thought you were nothing but a uniform gal with a stick up your ass. Why the hell would you give that up for the Alliance?"

A small smile tugged at the side of Shepard's mouth. "I'm a sucker for advertising and I love a man in uniform!"

"That's your excuse. You could have become a pirate, a merc...one of the most powerful women in the known galaxy, and you gave it up for some guys in uniform."

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Shepard was joking, her dead pan expression gave nothing away. "Have you seen how tight the navy uniform is?"

"That's IT!" Tak exclaimed, flopping down on the couch in the female common room. Svenja was there doing some research along with one of her friends. Tak let her legs fall over the arm of the couch and she stared out into space through the huge windows that the space station had. The rest of the walls were uniform steel, making the well-lit room feel stark and sterile like a hospital. Tak was in her last year at the academy, and her sister was in the first. The age difference had been hard. Tak wanted to join as soon as she was old enough, but that would have left Svenja on her own for one and a bit years. Thankfully with a bit of pleading, begging, and greasing of hands, Svenja had been granted leave to stay on the Arcturus station with her sister. This had given the girl a head start. Full access to the Libraries and no duties to attend to meant that Svenja had become one of the deadliest minds in the academy. Tak was proud of her sister, knowing of course what her full potential was all along.

"What is it, Tak?" Svenja asked placing down her book for a minute. She knew her sister was in a mood to talk, she just needed some coaxing.

"What is it?" Tak huffed. "It is MEN. I swear, from now on, it's nothing but the job."

"Is this about Michi?" Svenja asked, knowing full well he was the object of her sister's affection over the last year.  
Tak rolled to her side, Svenja's friend looked up from her book. "...the student teacher?"

Svenja hushed her friend with a lift of the hand, giving her a look that told her to keep her voice down and mouth shut. Since they were inducted into the Reds, Tak had never been interested in men. She had shied away from them, she refused to look pretty, never used her feminine wiles. She met them on their own terms and often won at it. The transition to the military had been easy because of this but the growth into womanhood, not so much. Michi Sopa was a senior student there to help with the biotic training. He was a little bit older and just what Tak needed to get in the game.

"Of course it is." Tak sat up. "Three weeks. Three weeks it took me to gain the courage to talk to the guy. Three weeks." She sighed.

"I bet he would have loved that you were like, his best student." Svenja joked.

Tak hung her head and blushed a little. "Well, he did..." She paused, "...like it. Two or three times."

"Tak you hussy, getting some when I'm not! But I'm still missing the problem?"

"He shipped out yesterday; it was the end of his year. I got a pat on the back and a 'see you round, kid.'" She looked depressed.

"So you get back on the horse, you try again." Svenja turned to Tak now, school work thrust aside, her sister's love life far more important.

Tak frowned. "I don't know if I can, I really liked him."

"For god's sake Tak, it's just dick! Don't act like you're stuck between a cock and a hard place; you are allowed to sleep with someone without declaring your undying love for them!" She sat next to her sister. It was a battle she wouldn't win. Her sister was hardened by the life they had lived before, but lurking just below the surface there was a romantic; a girl who looked at the stars and dreamed of travelling to them. A girl who wanted to help people and a girl who wanted to fall in love with a good man. Svenja was a little less old fashioned, tastes panning across species. She understood human and non human desires, and revelled in the freedoms of the new age.

She laughed and hugged her sister. "Cheer up hun. You'll graduate soon enough and you'll be too busy saving the universe to care."

Tak nodded. "So lil' sis, you need a hand with your work while I'm here?"

"That depends," Svenja said passing her the book off the table. "how much do you know about electronic bypassing at a fourth level?"

Tak looked at the book and looked at her sister. "I know that I just usually hit it until it either breaks or does what I want it to."

The three girls laughed. "Tak, you stick to your job, I'll stick to mine."

That night Svenja was late back to their dorm, her sister was still awake staring up at the ceiling. "You still fretting over that boy?" she asked.

"A little," Tak said, "but I guess its one of those things, you know?"

Svenja pulled herself up so she could pop her chin on the top bunk. "You wanna make him jealous?"

Tak looked suspicious. "How jealous are you talking?"

"I'm talking super jealous. I'm talking making you look so sexy that every man will want you, and you can rub it in that he doesn't have you any more!" Svenja said in the most enticing manner she could muster.

"How the hell?" Tak said looking at her sister, "That's never going to happen."

"It is, this weekend. I've already said yes, so it's on, baby!"

Tak sat up. "Svenja! What have you roped me into?"

Svenja let go of the bunk and landed softly on the ground. "Have you ever heard of Fornax?"

"You mean the nudie mag?"

"I mean the gentleman's publication!" Svenja corrected her sister. Sometimes she was so brash. Tak just raised an eyebrow. Svenja continued, "There is this publicity stunt they wanted to do with the Alliance Navy, put some up and coming bright young things in a foldout to try and boost intake and morale."

"And they asked us?"

"I volunteered."

Tak stopped for a minute. She licked her teeth and thought for a moment. "...and every one is okay with this?"

"The offer came from the top."

There was a silence again, then Tak smiled. "Sure!" she said finally.

"Really?"

Tak nodded. "Yeah. I mean it's my last year before I ship out. Can't imagine that we could get up to much trouble after this."

Svenja laughed. "No, I think after this it's pretty much the straight and narrow. Isn't that want you wanted?"

Tak flopped back down on her bunk. "Yeah, I think this is better." She put her hands behind her head. "We have a purpose. Better yet, a future."  
?Svenja collapsed on her own bunk under Tak's. "You've been planning this a while, haven't you." She said put her feet up and pushed on the bed springs and listened to her sister bounce as she let go.

Tak's red head poked off the side as she hung upside down.

"Is this hard to believe?" Her hair flicked back and forth while she moved. "Sometimes I have two brain cells to rub together." She smiled to her sister. "You were too good for that life Ja, I mean look at you now. They have accelerated your classes, and you're still acing them. You're going to be a top sentinel. I'm so proud." She pulled back up as her face started going red from the blood rushing to it.

"What about you?" Svenja asked. "You don't want to be a private all your career?"

She heard Tak sigh. "You know what?" she said, her voice full of hope, speaking of dreams to come. "I think Commander Shepard has a good ring to it."

The week ended swiftly and if either of the girls had any nerves about the shoot, it was too late to indulge them. It was a stark white studio, lights blazing, the set abuzz.

"There are more people here than I thought," Tak said to Svenja past the make up artist fussing over her.

"Feeling shy?" Her sister teased.

"We've both got our kit off for worse reasons."

The sisters laughed. The make up artist looked at Tak, foundation in hand; she turned her to one side observing the large scar running down her left cheek. Then the one down the right of her lip. Tak's eyes never left the woman. The artist looked at Tak like some one would when they were going to sand the imperfections out of a lump of wood.

"Don't you go messing with my scars," Tak said finally, just before the woman moved. "If these guys are going to look at me, they're going to look at me with all the lumps, bumps and flaws." She smiled at the woman. "Anyway, you're going to need a lot more than that to cover the rest of them."

"Hey Tak," Svenja called over, "tell her how you got the one on your eyebrow!"

Tak rolled her eyes at the private joke between them. Tak's eyebrow scar was a result of her own stupidity. Playing with something she really shouldn't have, and 9 stitches later, the scar looked more impressive than the story that went with it. "I head butted a krogan battle master," She lied.

The make up artist stopped what she was doing. "Really?"

Tak looked up at her. "It's my story and I'm sticking to it!" The sisters laughed, the make up and hair girls turned their attention to Svenja.

They looked over the set, there wasn't much to it. Some weaponry lay in the prop section, and they had their uniforms on.

"So how naked are we getting?" Svenja asked the photographer curiously.

"We wish to create the illusion of nudity for the viewer." He told them. "Obviously we have a specific audience – you will be fully nude at some point, as per your contract. The main thing we're trying to do here is juxtapose the image that you girls present; soft, beautiful, and desirable; with the appeal of the Alliance Navy – they represent the ideals of humanity in the wider galactic community, and as such, the rest of Fornax' audience. So with this juxtaposition we're trying to be as appealing as possible, and really enhance the viewing experience for our readers – are you familiar with the publication at all? Fornax offers..." The photographer kept talking. Or at least, his mouth kept moving and noses came out; neither girl was really paying attention any more.

Tak turned to her sister and interrupted, "So...that's photography bullshit for nekkid?" Tak stood up - they were ready.

She held out her hand to her sister. "You ready?"

Svenja nodded, she wasn't nervous but Tak was obviously a little, she always got brash and vulgar when she felt a little threatened. Her cocky defence mechanism was humour to those who didn't know it for what it was. "Alright big sis, lets show 'em what we're made of."

Svenja loved every minute of the shoot. She felt gorgeous, the white lights reflecting off her milky skin. The photographer was right, he created the illusion of nudity, and the poses were subtle, with a curve of leg or the butt of the gun covering any "rude" parts. The alliance was keeping a stern eye on what was being published; it was a publicity piece, not Military porn. The shoot was tame by Fornax standards.  
Tak did a lot of embarrassed giggling but she seemed to be enjoying herself. Where Svenja would have a pout or a fierce expression, Tak would be either blushing, or grinning. The photographer seemed to enjoy the contrast. They did some action shots, which Tak got more into, showing off some of her biotic abilities for the camera, the blue glow lighting the whole set.

They finished up and dressed, a young woman who was writing the article to go with the shoot asked them a few questions. As per normal, their past was to be strictly kept under wraps, they were allowed to be known as earthborn but their past was simply known to the press as "rocky". The woman writing the article seemed intuitive and intelligent. Her questions were interesting and less along the lines of "what would you rather fuck, Drell or Turian", and more like, "emotionally, what did it take to move on from your old life and take the plunge into the military?".

"I hope we do inspire people to join," Tak told the woman, "and not just young men looking for some babes with guns."

The three women laughed for a moment. Then Tak continued. "The Alliance, all jokes aside, has saved my life. With the uniform I have gained purpose, skills and have become the person I always wanted to be but never thought I could. Even just training I feel honoured and privileged to be part of something that stands for so much."

The interviewer looked at her. "What do you hope to do with your position, Tak?"

Tak smiled. Svenja had seen that smile but a few times before, and she loved it every time. It wasn't the smile of Tak's old, drugged up, lacklustre self. It was the smile of a woman on a mission, a woman with a plan.

"With my position I want to not only help make the difference, but BE the difference. Put my foot forward for humanity, show the other races what us short lived mammals can do when we put our mind to it. I want to be the best that I can, and all that I can. For my species and all of sentient life."

The woman turned to Svenja. "That's a hard act to follow! Anything to add?"

Svenja smiled her cheeky Grin spreading from ear to ear"I'm just lucky I got all the looks and the brains."

That was a about year ago. Today Shepard had returned to Arcturus station for the first time since she herself had graduated. Svenja was graduating a year early, which was fantastic news. Tak's dress uniform was pressed spic and span and she was ready to help graduate the second Shepard. She had received her newest assignment and was thrilled when she found out her baby sister could come along. She sat in the family section of the auditorium. All the other cadets' parents stood proud. There were a few other officers there, regarding each other with the utmost respect and bragging about how good their respective children were. Tak didn't need to say a thing. They knew why she was there and who she was there for, the bright red hair of the youngest graduating cadet being a dead give away. She was giving the end of year speech, too. One of the biggest honours. Two Shepards had taken that out so far. Speeches by past officers, heroes, teachers and important people began and ended. Certificates were handed out, the crowd cheered then hushed as Svenja took the stage.

She laid her prompting cards on the podium and took a deep breath scanning the crowd. There were a few friends there, some teachers in the mass of people. But most importantly her big sister, up the front, that huge grin on her face.

Svenja began. "Someone close to me once said, 'I want to not only help make the difference but BE the difference.' For the longest time, I had no idea what that really meant. Over this last year, we have cried, screamed, laughed, and raged. It is now I understand that quote. We can make the difference, help where we can, and be what we are. Or we can BE the difference, become the pillars of justice, stand for what is right. Go beyond what is expected of us and change the world one good deed at a time. The road is often harder for people like us, those of us who decide to rise above who we were, and become great people. But none of us are limited to our beginnings, none of us are judged by who we were. We will be measured by our deeds, and who we will become." She paused for a moment to gather the last of her thoughts "this end represents a beginning, and the start of something that we all should be proud to be part of. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us."

The crowd erupted in applause, people stood and cheered. The graduates began to disperse and leave the stage. Tak ran up the steps and hugged her sister, lifting her up off the ground and swinging her around. "Perfect, Svenja. Just perfect."

Svenja laughed. "I plagiarized you a little, but unless they've read the issue of Fornax, no one will know!" Tak gave her sister a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I don't mind, I made for a pretty nice speech."

They stopped for a moment as a photographer took their picture. Arm in arm, Svenja holding her certificate, Tak smiling brightly and offering two thumbs up, classic dorkiness. This photo became one of Tak's favourites. The graduation party was the last party the two girls had together. They sang, danced and laughed the night away, both causing quite a stir among their fellow soldiers with their playful and boastful attitudes. To Svenja it was her last night of pure freedom and she intended to enjoy it.

A week later, the girls were on the frigate to Akuze. It was a sad mission and no one liked the odds - they were being sent to investigate the disappearance of the colonists, there hadn't been any radio contact with anyone for weeks. Akuze was a new colony so it wasn't unheard of, but it was unsettling. Even the pioneer team had gone dark. They weren't far out from landing, the fifty strong crew were getting restless.

"Toombs?" Tak called out, hailing the corporal down. "You seen Svenja?" He waved her towards the observation deck. Tak thanked him and moved on.

As she approached she saw the uniformed silhouette of her sister, leaning on the banister, smoke in hand. Tak approached her soundlessly from behind. Svenja's hands overlapped at the wrists and dangled over the edge of the banister. She leant forward, one leg slightly ahead of the other, most of her weight on her back leg. Tak came to her side and sank back on to the banister, fore arms holding her weight. She stole the smoke out of her sister's hand and pressed it to her lips, taking a long hard drag.

"Hey!" Svenja exclaimed, snatching it back. Tak let the smoke sit in her mouth and then managed to blow a smoke ring before it all dissipated.

"Cant kick the habit, huh?" Tak finally said.

"Everyone needs a vice."

Tak held her hands up in defence. "It's not like I can judge."

Svenja tilted her head to one side and looked at her sister. "How is the..." her voice lowered. "...Hellex problem?"

Tak shrugged. "Non-existent after first year. Or don't you remember the random drug tests?"

Svenja smiled. "Yeah, that would have been hard to talk your way out of."

Tak sighed and turned so she was facing the same direction as her sister. She looked out into the black expanse, thousands of pinpricks of light whizzed past.

"You know what?" Tak said after a time. "You and me, we're pretty lucky."

Svenja nodded. "We really are. " Both girls were held transfixed for a time by the majesty of the universe. Of how huge it was in comparison to them, how stunningly beautiful it was, and how at that moment nothing could go wrong.

Svenja turned to her older sister. "You think we'll always be able to work together?"

A simple enough question, the but meaning behind it was sobering. If they couldn't work together then that would mean years apart, separated by lightyears and aliens. For their whole life, excluding the last part of the last year, they had worked together, lived together, shared together and taken on the world together. Now they had to take on the universe, and the idea of doing it alone was daunting.

"Ja, you and me," Tak said "we're kind of forever. You can't break that up." She offered over her closed fist, Svenja bumped it and she bumped it back. Tak nodded to herself. "You're stuck with me, kid."

Her sister smiled and continued to watch the stars and the galaxy.

Tak Shepard's story stopped. Without the sound of her voice the steady hum of the ships engine could be heard again. That was their last ever proper conversation. Shepard remembered it so vividly, the cool steel of the observation room, the large window, which she thought at the time was pretty but now she thought more of a weak spot on the ships hull. The smell of the cigarettes, the Alliance uniform. She raised a hand to her face and rubbed her eyes.

"What happened on Akuze?" Jack asked. Shepard noticed she had moved forward, elbows resting on her knees. She had been listening intently. Jack was a little envious of Shepard for having such a friendship. Someone to depend on. By the way the story stopped Jack sensed Svenja Shepard's fate was not a happy one.  
Shepard took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Akuze was hell," shepherd said, remembering what she had learned while she was hunting Saren. She had been on a mission to discover why a bunch of Cerberus scientists had been killed and stumbled on a horrible truth. "And it was Cerberus' fault. They set a thresher maw to attack us, just so they could study how our team would react. Fifty soldiers were on that planet." Shepard clenched her teeth, holding back one of the waves of emotion that hit her. She wasn't sure if it was anger, remorse, guilt or just a horrible mix of them all. "I was the only one to make it out alive, or so I thought until I found Toombs later at a Cerberus base. He told me there could have been others; taken, experimented on." She shook her head. "I don't know any more, Svenja could be alive and I can't do dick about it." She hit the step she was sitting on, and the deep note reverberated around the metal in the room. Finally she stood up and looked over to Jack. The angry young woman's demeanour had changed, she almost looked concerned.

"You hate them too?" she said slowly, as if the realisation was just dawning on her. "Just as much as I do..." Her sentence lingered. "Then why the hell do you work for them?"

"Seek the enemy of your enemy and you will find a friend" she quoted, a lot calmer than her beating heart would have her seem. "The council refuse to believe in the reapers, my team has disappeared, in this life I have nothing but what Cerberus has offered me." The words tasted as horrible as they sounded. "So Jack. When I tell you to suck it up and do what you're paid to do, you suck it up." She paused and looked around, no doubt the place was bugged, but frankly she didn't care what any one knew any more. "And just wait. Because I know I'm biding my time before I crush Cerberus."

Jack had heard a lot of big talk in her day, a lot of threats, but this was the first she believed at face value. There was something about Shepard's deadpan face, her rigid posture and ferocious eyes that made Jack believe her words.

Jack shook her head. "It's okay Shepard. I work for you, not them." She said finally. Shepard smiled and turned to walk up the stairs.

"Just quickly Shep," Jack called up. Shepard turned - Shep wasn't a nickname she'd often heard her team mates call her.

"One thing I don't understand. How can you forgive that Alenko guy after all that he said on Horizon? He called you a traitor."

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." She smiled and began to walk up. "And he has the most fantastic thighs I've ever seen on a man."

Jack just laughed, Shepard had a wicked sense of humour.

Shepard returned to the CIC. She was drained - she hadn't shared about her sister before, she hoped Jack got something out of it, or at least grew from her own experiences. "Hi, I'm Commander Shepard. Screwing up my life so you can learn from it." She chuckled to herself as the elevator doors opened. She looked over the bridge. "Commander Shepard," Kelly greeted her, "you have new messages at your private terminal."

Shepard didn't want to handle any more missions right now; She waved Kelly off with some mumble about looking at them later and walked towards the cockpit. Two years ago in the fight against Saren and the reapers, she had spent most of her time with one of two people. Kaidan or Joker. One to make her laugh, one to catch her when she fell. Both men she had befriended easily, both men she had risked her life for, but only one remained.

"Was it beautiful?" Joker asked.

"What?" she said, frowning and leaning on EDI's control panel, crossing her arms.

Shepard raised an eyebrow and the right side of her mouth twitched her lips into a smirk.

"Totally." She said. "You think I should copy the security tapes Zaeed makes and sell it? I mean Miranda and Jack; it's pretty hot."

"I think scary would be a better word for it." He scoffed.

Shepard sat forward, noticing a magazine sitting in his lap. "What the hell, Joker?" she said stealing it off him, instantly recognising it as a copy of Fornax. "You're on duty, Soldier."

He shrugged. "EDI is doing calibrations and won't let me do anything."

"Mr Moreau's incessant "tweaking" of our systems is against all Cerberus protocol and safety regulations." The ethereal female voice told her.

"EDI," Shepard said, "you know he's just going to play with it after you're finished."

"I know, Commander."

"And your purpose for doing it then?" Shepard asked the supposedly emotionless AI.

"I believe you would say because it pisses him off."

Both Shepard and Joker stared at the glowing blue orb behind Shepard.

Shepard mouthed the words, "Did she just…"

Joker gave her a shifty look. "She's been getting weirder," he mouthed back.

"I have cameras as well as microphones."

The cockpit went silent for a moment. Shepard held up the copy of Fornax, she recognised the cover.

"Is this mine?" she exclaimed.

Joker held his hands up "Zaeed said he was finished with it, so he passed it on. But there's hundreds of copies, how do you know its your one?"

"Because it's from eleven years ago," She said, and flicking through to the Alliance feature, "and I'm in it."

A slightly embarrassed look came over Joker's face. "Shepard, what's Tak short for?"

She tossed the book back at him and gave him a look.  
"Oh." He closed the mag but kept ahold of it. "Wow."

Shepard laughed. "Is this Jeff Moreau speechless?"

"The things you think you know." He muttered. "Would it be weird if I said that I had you and your sister on my wall back at Arcturus station?"

Shepard's grin didn't slip; she had no regrets about the experience; it was actually quite fun. Statistically speaking, most of the men and woman on the ship would have no doubt come across it at some time, her only saving grace was that she never used her full name.

"It would, yes." She said.

"Then I won't tell you that I did, and now I feel a little dirty." The last line did it, she broke, leaning back and laughing heartily, a huge grin on her face. Joker looked proud of himself.

"It's been a while since you've done that, Shepard."

She drew in a sharp breath to try and calm her laughter-aching sides. "Its been an interesting time, there hasn't really been a chance to have a good giggle. You know, gotta get back on the old horse and all that."

"Oo-rah!" Joker said in a mocking tone.

Shepard stood to leave. "Thanks." She said simply. She went to pat him on the shoulder, then hesitated. Joker frowned. It was always the way he had seen her, Shepard was a pat on the back, bro-hug kind of gal, but she wasn't gentle. He guessed that was why whenever she talked to him she either stood arms crossed or behind his chair. This time was different; she re-adjusted the level of pressure she was going to use and gently placed her hand on the top of his shoulder, giving it a very small, gentle squeeze. "Keep the mag." She said. "You seem to enjoy it more than I do."

"Only for the articles, honest."

She smiled and let her hand trail down his arm as she left.

"Shepard," He said turning his chair to catch her walking out, "the Horizon thing, it's rough, but you'll sort yourselves out. And if he can't take his head out of his ass long enough to figure out what he's walked out on, he's not worth it."

She didn't turn but he saw her pause, her whole body gratefully losing a tension she hadn't realised she'd been holding Then it returned to her usual upright posture, the almost masculine way she moved. She one handed waved back to him, and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

He flicked the magazine back open to where he was, and found the picture that he had on his wall. He always thought it was weird to have a shot like that in a gentleman's magazine, but then he had always liked it. The two girls sat shoulder to shoulder, almost back to back, Tak Shepard (now easily recognisable since the fact had been pointed out to him) was in the foreground for once, her sister slightly to the back. Tak had one knee pulled up close to her chest, the other leg tucked under her and Svenja sat with her knees tucked under. Svenja looked as though she was explaining something, her nose lightly dusted with freckles, wrinkled to match her brow in concentration. Tak's chin rested on her knee. There was something so kind in the way she looked at her sister, she seemed so happy in that moment. It was funny now knowing who it was, he wondered what had changed Shepard into the stony faced warrior woman he often saw. He kinda hoped he could one day meet this Svenja Shepard.

Shepard was deep in thought. There wasn't much she could say to Joker's last remark, but it was comforting to hear. She walked back through the CIC and buzzed for the elevator.

"Commander," Kelly's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, messages. I know. I'm going to take them in my room."

The elevator wasn't fast enough, the silence was annoying. It had been such a good conversation with Joker. It wasn't that she regretted talking to Jack about her past, but it was just a heavy subject to talk about. Still, Joker's parting words lingered in her head.

Finally, the doors slid open and she entered her cabin.

Space Patrol, her hamster, rushed out to greet her. She gave him a little pat and then sat down to the task at hand. She lifted the lid on her private terminal and checked her messages.

About Horizon …

"Fuck," Shepard swore reading Kaidan's letter. She pushed herself away from the terminal for a moment. It was easier when he hadn't said anything and she could just be angry or sad. She looked at the picture of him that sat to her right. "You idiot!" She yelled, his words floating into her mind.

Do you even remember that night before Ilos? That night meant everything to me... maybe it meant as much to you.

Of course she did, some nights it was all she ever thought about. Over and over again. He said that she made him feel human. She wished she had told him that he made her feel like a woman. That he made her feel like she could take on the universe. Instead she had just made some wise crack about shutting up and coming over to her.

When things settle down a little... maybe... I don't know. Just take care.

This wasn't the first time he had made a comment like that. When their relationship was just in its fledgling state, he had said that when they had caught Saren, when all was said and done, he wanted to make a go of it. But that had never happened. What if it never ended? What if there was just another bad guy after these ones?

"Fuck."

She couldn't think about it now. The second message was blinking urgently at her from the screen. She pulled herself back to her terminal and opened it. Her stomach sank and her skin went cold when she read the first line.

Tak, it's Svenja.

She didn't know if she wanted to pass out, throw up, or scream.

God, I thought you were dead.

Shepard's face fell into a look of pure confusion. "...you thought I was dead?" She whispered at the terminal.

I know it's been a while, but I need your help. And I need it now.


	3. Shepard Sisters Fight and Reunite

_I know it's been a while but I need your help. And I need it now._

"Fuck."

Shepard re-read the message on her terminal. Her face had gone numb, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and that familiar, sickening feeling in her stomach. The message came interlaced with coordinates. It could be a trap, her sister was dead, some bastard was probably using this as bait. Like the Illusive Man with Kaidan, knowing exactly what pulled at her heart strings. If Svenja was alive like Toombs, then what state was she in? Toombs was mad, he had talked of Cerberus experiments for years; torture and pain were his life. What if it _was_ her sister, but she had changed; what if she wasn't her baby sister any more? What if she was broken, if she had become something horrible, some kind of monster?

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. It was a risk she would have to take. She copied down the co-ordinates and deleted the message. Toombs had been telling the truth - she had seen it for herself. The test site, the husks, the Rachni. What then would it mean if she showed up with a Cerberus ship and crew?

She thought about her crew. Good people for the most part, but how far could she really trust them? Especially Miranda - she reported directly to the Illusive man. She would have to find a way around this. She stepped out of her cabin and into the elevator. Somehow she had to keep this quiet, at least until it was too late for anyone to interfere. She stepped out at the CIC.

"Kelly," She said, trying to keep her voice steady, "please have Garrus and Tali meet me in the cockpit."

Kelly gave her a strange look. Shepard ignored it and walked forward back the way she had come only minutes earlier. She had the data pad clutched in her hand. The co-ordinates on it would change her life - she wasn't sure if it was for better or worse yet, but she was only going to let the people she trusted know.

"Miss me already?" Joker said.

Shepard ignored him for a moment. "EDI, I wish to have a private conversation. Can you make it happen?"

"Of course, Shepard." EDI replied.

"If you want to confess your undying love for me, let the whole ship know." Joker quipped.

"Not now, Joker." She snapped. "That request includes you too, EDI."

"Shepard, I would like to inform you that-"

"OFF, EDI."

"Yes Shepard. Logging you off." The glowing blue orb disappeared.

"Shepard," Joker said, turning his seat to face her. "what is this about?"

She held a finger to her lips and waited until Tali and Garrus joined them. She clutched the datapad to her chest, lowered her head and began to speak.

"I just now received a message on my private terminal." She said softly. Other crew members looked down the end of the long passage to the cockpit, but all they saw was four friends talking or reminiscing. Seeing the commander in the huddle, they left well enough alone.

"It came from my sister."

Garrus's head popped up and his mandible twitched. She never talked about family. In fact when asked, she only ever said that they were dead.

"Wait." Tali said. "Isn't this a good thing?"

Shepard licked her lips; it was the second time today that she'd had to deal with her past. "My sister died on Akuze, or so I was led to believe."

The room went quiet. Every one knew the hounds of Cerberus and what they did to the marines stationed on Akuze. Garrus had been there with Shepard and Kaidan as she talked her former comrade down from killing the Cerberus scientists who had been testing on him.

"What does this mean for us?" Garrus said finally.

Shepard looked up. "It means either this is a trap, or Svenja Shepard is back from the dead."

"Wouldn't be the first Shepard to rise from hell." Joker added.

"Which is exactly why I can't just let it lie." She said sternly. "If there is even a chance she's alive out there..."

Garrus laid a hand on her shoulder. "If there is a chance, then we will try to find her." He saw the importance of this mission to her. Shepard had helped him a number of times with his unfinished business. She was always willing to lend a hand to her crew mates, and this was the first time she'd asked something for herself.

The others nodded in agreement. "Do we have any leads?"Tali asked.

Shepard shook her head. "I have co-ordinates." She passed the data pad to Joker. "That's all."

Silence fell in the cockpit once more.

"Well, look on the bright side...the last time we went hunting for some one, we didn't even have this much." Joker piped up.

The four of them went to work. Tali 'tweaked' the Normandy's comm link to make sure nothing went out. It was a dangerous move - if they were to walk into a trap, they would be in trouble until she could undo her work, but it meant that they would be able to make it to the co-ordinates Shepard's sister had given them in peace. Shepard thought about her ground crew - she could take both Tali and Garrus in the small shuttle down to the planet. Both exceptional in their fields of expertise, but she felt that Tali would be better off remaining on the Normandy just in case. They did what they could to keep her plans from the Illusive Man, but she would feel better if some one who could deal with it as it happened. If it happened. Whatever it was.

This left a gap in her team. Who else could she trust enough? She smiled, the name forming in her head. She may be a crazy bitch, but if any one would keep her mouth shut, it was Jack.

Shepard was just coming up from speaking with Jack when Miranda cornered her in the elevator.

"What's this new mission that everyone is so hush-hush about?" She demanded curtly.

"I have a new dossier and we are going to pick her up. I put it down as a need-to-know basis only. And I didn't think you needed to know." She kept her voice flat, neutral. It was a statement of fact after all.

"I am your second in command. If anyone needs to know, it's me."

Shepard sighed. "You're also the Illusive Man's proxy."

"You don't trust me." She sounded upset.

"No, I trust you to do your job. And that job sadly also includes informing the Illusive Man as to my whereabouts and plans. I cannot have him finding out about this." She paused. "It's a family matter." She looked at Miranda solemnly.

Miranda sighed. "Then I won't ask. If I don't know, I have nothing to report. I hope you find whoever you're looking for." She got off the elevator at the crew's quarters. Shepard smiled. Obviously the help she had given to Miranda with her sister had put her in good stead. She was relieved Miranda respected her enough not to go running to the Illusive Man immediately. Arriving at the CIC, Jack and Garrus were already waiting for her. Tali waited with Joker in the cockpit, making sure nothing was going to go wrong.

"Commander Shepard," EDI addressed her as she headed to the air lock. "There is evidence of a collectors attack on this planet."

Shepard's heart sank.

"You think we may be too late?" Jack asked.

"There are a few life readings left on the planet," EDI continued. "They are all concentrated around what appears to be an abandoned hospital."

"Abandoned?" Garrus said mandibles fairing "With collectors around this doesn't bode well."

Shepard rubbed her eyes. "So, the plans have changed." She took a deep breath in and held it for a count of three. Pushing her immediate emotions back, getting to grips with the issue at hand. "First objective, secure the area. Second, find any and all survivors." She opened the door to the air lock.

"Someone tell Miranda as second in command it's now her job to inform either the Alliance or the Illusive Man about what's happening. I think I just lost my objectivity."

As the shuttle took them down planet side Miranda's voice came through her radio.

"Shepard, we should take time to gather intel. This could be a valuable resource to our cause. Racing in half-cocked isn't going to get us anywhere."

Shepard swallowed. "Miranda, it's my sister. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same."

She heard Miranda's breath through the radio but she said nothing for moment. "That doesn't mean it's the right thing to do Shepard."

"No. Doing the right thing is your job. I just kill the bad guys."

Just like Horizon, they landed on a desolate planet. The signs of early colonisation were visible against the tall tropical fauna. A mist rose off the ground, creating a sticky, heavy feeling atmosphere. There were no swarms and no sign of struggle. Shepard chewed the inside of her mouth. Struggling to keep her head about everything that was going on.

She and Jack took point, Garrus bringing up the rear. Foreign sounds littered the air, yet still no signs of life, or signs of the collectors.

"Commander, you should be coming across the hospital right about now."

Shepard was glad for Joker's voice. Something about EDI's ethereal tones never actually calmed her in battle.

"Copy that, Joker."

They pushed ahead.

Suddenly there was a hail of gunfire. All military training left her for a moment. Tak Shepard ran ahead. She burst out of the brush, a couple of low lying branches catching at her hair and face. She saw it. The mammoth beast of the collector ship in the sky, and the ground parties' ships. The other two caught up to her and all three stood in awe. As they watched, they saw some of the ground teams shifting things on the roof.

"The pods?" Jack asked "Like Horizon."

Shepard didn't want to think about it.

"The disturbance is coming form the second level." Garrus told her scanning the hospital. "Can I hazard a guess that your sister is a fighter?"

"You better believe it."

Shepard pushed though the doors and assessed the area briefly. The hospital was huge - through a combination of good hearing and EDI's scans, they made their way through he labyrinth of corridors. A lot of noise was coming from behind the door in front of them. Shepard put her hand on the knob. Garrus stood poised, ready to shoot whatever fell through it. Jack at the rear. Shepard looked at both of them. "Three, two, one; GO." She flung open the door. The yellow armour was instantly recognisable as Eclipse. But Shepard held.

"Hold your fire!" She shouted, seeing the crimson haired girl fall through. One half dead collector was clutching at her leg with the last of its strength.

"You fucking arse wipe, get the FUCK off me! And die when I fucking shoot you!"

For a split second she wasn't Shepard any more, seeing her sister for the first time in eleven years stopped her brain flat. It sent her face cold. Then she was back up and running.

"Garrus, grab her." She yelled as she stepped on the wrist of the collector holding her sister. She fired point blank into its skull full of blinking yellow eyes.

"Assuming direct control."

Those words made her tremble every time; she didn't doubt he was the harbinger of her death. The pulsing yellow light cast an unusual glow in the room. She shut the door. Thoughts now gathered and a healthy dose of adrenaline under her belt after seeing the room full of collectors, Shepard called it.

"Fall back!" She shouted.

Shepard and Jack headed back the way they came in, checking every door, every corridor.

"Shepard," EDI's voice chimed through her thoughts "your previous route is not recommended."

"What are you telling me EDI?" She barked back up the comm line.

"She's telling you Commander, that they've flanked you. We've got movement coming from all directions..."

"There better be a 'but' to that sentence, Joker. Like you've found us an alternative?"

"I'm working on it." He snapped.

Svenja pulled her self slowly to her feet during the exchange, and looked at Garrus. "Do they do this a lot?"

He sighed. "More than Necessary."

Garrus regarded the young woman in front of him. A spitting image of her sister.

"Are you okay?" He asked, noticing her laboured movements.

"I'm numb from my tits to my toes from those swarms, but I'll live." She told him. He chuckled to himself. Obviously colourful turns of phrase ran in the family.

"Joker," Shepard said the urgency clear in her voice through the comm line. "Don't try to think for me, just tell me what we've got to work with."

The collectors began to spill out of the room behind them forcing them blindly into the maze of corridors.

"Four possible exits - scratch that, three." Joker was mumbling, interpreting EDI's data into something Shepard could use. "You don't want that one…"

"Joker!"

"The front door I'm counting fifty or so and some of the Scion. But, there is a service exit through the kitchen. It takes you further away from the shuttle, still fewer collectors."

"We'll take that one. Directions?"

The last room, full now, spilled out into the corridor. Thankfully the size and number of their adversaries kept them bottle-necked, meaning the small band could pick off their numbers as they retreated. Shepard and Jack breached the final door in Joker's directions. They swallowed as the hulking forms turned to them.

"Turns out less than fifty is still a big number," Jack grumbled, taking cover.

A beam cannon ripped through the air above Shepard's head.

"What's the plan from here?" Garrus asked.

Shepard popped up to get a better idea of the situation. She saw the exit Joker mentioned. She also saw an alarming number of collectors between her and her escape route. Another smattering of fire erupted, tearing through her kinetic barrier. She dropped back behind cover, her skin tingling as it regenerated.

"The door is on the other side of the kitchen," She informed them.

"And how many of them between here and there?" Svenja asked.

"Too many." Tak answered, not looking at her sister. She had had been avoiding acknowledging her. She was terrified that all the underlying emotions would cloud her judgment. Eleven years of guilt, grief and anger were beginning to bubble to the surface.

"I will see to this matter personally." Harbinger hissed, taking over another collector.

Shepard heard its voice, it was close. She was formulating a plan.

"I'm going to make a distraction. Get the Harbinger's vessel to follow me; he's our biggest threat right now. You three make a break for the door. Three rows of kitchen equipment separate you and your exit."

Tak peered over the bench. She signalled them to move, and move fast. As they were clearing the edge of the first row, she stood. "Hey!" She yelled, trying to catch the vessel's attention.

He turned to her. "Your flesh is weak."

"Yeah," She said. "so is yours." She fired into his head, her M-6 hand cannon making a sizable dent in his armour - but only a dent. "...but not as much as I'd like."

The hulking, glowing form of the collector turned fully towards her. Its mass began to move.

Jack whipped out a couple of collectors by the door, clearing their path. She saw them sneak out, not disturbing the other collectors in the room. As she watched the lumbering form of the vessel she assessed her situation. The freezer was behind her, two gas ovens in front. She backed up, ran towards the large steel door of the walk-in freezer. She flung open the door and had just stepped into the icy expanse when the bulk of the creature caught up with her. With the force of the impact she lost her balance, the vessel itself propelled by its own momentum kept slipping and sliding to the back of the room. She turned as she fell and grabbed the door frame, thankful for her boots - she managed to get traction before the collector and scrabbled across the ground on all fours, shutting the door on him. She turned the lock. It wasn't going to hold it for long, but it would for now. She dropped again as the rest of the collectors opened fire.

"Fuck it," She swore as she was pinned down again. She hadn't made much progress. She took a deep breath in, held it for three seconds and exhaled.

Shepard didn't know it, but she had left her comm open. Joker, EDI and Tali could hear everything. They knew what it meant - the two in the cockpit who were able to worry were feeling very nervous.

She stood up - the wave of fire rushed over her. She stood taking shots for a moment too long. Her kinetic barrier stripped, she caught a round in the shoulder. Her armour absorbing the damage, she was knocked back. She took cover again. Again the same breathing pattern. Inhale, count to three, exhale. Her barrier recharged. Her armour dented. She was racking her brains for a way out. It was then she heard the concussive shot. Familiar blue armour was visible in the window.

She used the distraction to run like she'd never run before. She mounted the bench, leapt from that one to the next, then dived out the door. She stood behind the door frame as Garrus joined her.

"I could kiss your big bony face right now, Garrus."

"Save it for after we get out of this." Garrus chuckled. "How _are_ we getting out of this?"

Shepard stuck her head through the door and looked over to the oven she spied earlier. With all the biotic power she could muster, she gripped the gas pipe and ripped it out of the wall. She could hear the gas even though she couldn't see it. She swapped her shredder rounds for incendiary and fired at the broken line. The bullet burned in the wall.

"Catch!" She whispered under her breath. "Come on, you bastard!"

Then it happened, the gas caught and the flames swept up into the pipe. Both Garrus and Tak turned; they knew what was going to happen. Tak grabbed Svenja under the arm, clearly still feeling the end of the effects of the seeker swarms. They began to run, Jack and Garrus picked off any stragglers that decided to follow. Just as they got to the shuttle they heard the boom as the flames hit the hospital gas tanks, flames racing through the foliage after them. They piled into the shuttle. Shepard watched the flames lick at the sky as they took off. She shut the door and rubbed the dent in her shoulder plate. She turned to the collection of people with her. Every one looked a little shaken, it had been a close one again.

Tak's eyes were glued to her sister. She would be twenty-nine, no, thirty now. At first glance, nothing about her sister had changed in eleven years. It was only slowly she noticed things. She was a little thinner, her mouth turned down a little more than it used to. She'd cut her hair, gained a few scars. It was hard looking at her, seeing her baby sister all grown up. She had been a teenager last time she had seen her. Young, happy, a bright future ahead of her. Now she was a woman, her yellow Eclipse armour offsetting Garrus's blue. Tak sat next to Jack in silent thought.

The shuttle docked. Jack was first out of the confined space, followed by Garrus. Tak stood, but she didn't move, the emotions festering. She was about to explode.

Svenja moved to leave. "Hey Tak," She said patting her on the back. "just like old times huh?"

Tak tensed, the dam that was holding her emotions in check broke. "You selfish little bitch." She said, turning her sister to face her. "Eleven fucking years without a word, and you want to pretend nothing ever happened?"

Svenja stood, mouth open in surprise. "...are you kidding me? Do you seriously think I would just abandon you? I thought you were dead!"

"No, you don't get to pull this one on me. I died 2 years ago, what happened before then?" Tak loathed the fact that Kaidan's argument still felt so fresh in her mind. "Decided the military just wasn't your thing?"

Svenja felt her hackles start to rise - this was _not_ how she'd dreamed about being reunited with her sister. "Do you even know what actually happened on Akuze? Beyond the fact that the great and almighty Commander Tak Shepard was supposedly the only survivor?"

Tak's hands balled into fists at her sides. "I tried to come back." her voice started quiet, but rose with every word, "I fought every minute of every day to go back there and find you. It has eaten me up inside, the fact that I was the only one to walk out of there. Fifty people died on my watch, you don't think I carry that? And when I found Toombs..." her voice cracked.

Svenja sneered. "Well, hate to break it to you sis, but what Toombs got was just the start. There is a big fucking reason I didn't get in touch with you - when I got off that rock, the first thing I did was try and make contact! I-"

"You really can't have tried that hard!" Neither woman noticed that every one had cleared out of the decontamination chamber, Garrus slipping out and shutting the door to give them some privacy on the way. "It's not like I was hiding!" She yelled. "I would have come for you if you were in trouble. For god's sake, I just did!"

"I fucking know, okay Tak? I _did_ try and get in touch! As soon as I got back into Alliance space, I contacted Hackett and was packed back off to the fucking Traverse when they realised who I was! Those scumbags threatened to end your career if I came forward!"

"Do you really think I'm so wrapped up in my career that I'd pick it over you? Who the hell do you think I am?" Tak screamed back at her sister.

"YOUR choice wasn't what I was concerned about!"

"Then what?" Tak threw up her arms in exasperation. The dent in her pauldron grated against her other pieces. "What were you afraid of? Or have you changed so much that you're a coward now?" Her words were bitter. She was lashing out with the intent to hurt.

"Oh, don't you fucking DARE. I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to see you, and I wanted you to know I was alive. Do you think it's been sunshine and unicorns for me? Do you know what they fucking did to me?" Svenja was nearly screaming now, her voice catching on the final words. She remembered everything from Akuze. She wished she didn't. "Tak, if you pull your head out of your ass for ONE SECOND..."

"And what? See the mess you've become? You could have been anything, you were the better one." She shook her head, "I should have stopped this." Her own guilt exceeding her anger.

Svenja couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shook her head. "A mess? Oh, thanks sis. You're in great shape yourself, you know. Died, came back, turned traitor..."

Tak grabbed her and slammed her with all her might against the door. "Traitor? Dying in service is what makes you a traitor? Yeah, that sounds about right." Her lips twisted into a cruel smile. "You at least got a hero's send off, I saw it. At _your_ funeral I held the flag that represented your body. No open casket for the pieces of you we found. You were fresh out of the academy and you got to be the hero. I served for nine years, and I'm the traitor."

Svenja clenched her teeth and hissed at her sister. "Cerberus are the fuckers who killed our unit, and tortured the survivors. How is taking their money and their orders anything but a betrayal of your team?"

Tak thumped her sister against the wall again. The metal creaked under the force. "I found Toombs, I found the test sites but there was nothing there to prove that you were alive. To be frank, right now, all I have to think about is how I'm going to save humanity and every other fucking race in the galaxy because no-one believes me about the reapers." She pulled her off the wall and flung her across the room. "I don't like that Cerberus own me, but the council left me dead, covered up everything that I had been working for. What am I supposed to do? You're so smart Svenja, tell me. What the fuck am I supposed to do?"

The blow came out of nowhere. Svenja had clenched her fist and thrown a right hook before she realised she was moving. It was a solid blow, and caught her sister off guard, catching her square in the cheek.

The punch Sent Tak wheeling, Svenja still punched like back in the good old days. With her right hand she grabbed the balled up fist that got her. Pulling it down and across her body, her left came up and grabbed her by the back of the neck. She pulled Svenja's arm around her back.

Svenja tensed her neck muscles and her biotics flared. She released a pulse that broke her sister's grip and knocked her back a few steps. Tak stumbled, her kinetic barrier spreading across her body from contact with her sisters pulse. "So this is how its going to be," She said, using lift.

Svenja HATED lift. Fighting to regain control of her weightless body, it took her a second to counter the move. Dropping to the floor, she threw a sharp burst of energy, followed by a series of well-aimed punches.

Svenja was good, she had gotten better than her academy days. The blast forced Tak back against the wall. She blocked the attack, only being worn down by the flurry of blows. She dimly noticed the door sliding open, someone must have been checking on them. Taking her M-9 from its clip on her back and using the only second her sister gave her, she used a shockwave to send her sister flying back through the open door and into the Normandy herself.

Svenja was thrown several metres before slamming into a wall beyond the doors. She dimly noticed a man's face as she flew through the air - had she been less furious, and also less airborne, his dumbfounded expression might have been comical. The impact with the wall knocked the breath out of her and she barely managed to haul herself upright before her sister was on her again.

Tak walked out of the chamber gun up and ready. "Go on, lil' sis. Push it. Just that little bit further."

A crowd was gathering in the small hallway at the end of the CIC behind the cockpit. Joker had the best seat in the house for the fireworks, but you could hear the argument from a mile away. Jacob was one of the first on the scene, Miranda followed close behind. Even Jack was lingering to see what was happening.

Svenja strode forward, and grabbed her sister's wrist with both hands. She forced the barrel of the gun to her throat and held it in place. "Off you go, then. What's stopping you? If you're so mad, fucking do it. You're obviously not going to LISTEN." Her emotion spilled out of her voice in the final word, and she blinked back angry tears. The growing crowd didn't even register with her - she was focused on her sister. She was so angry - how could she not see that she was so relieved to see her; that all she wanted to do was throw her arms around her and just be HAPPY that they were together again?

The gun clicked. Tak had slipped the safety on, and the gun folded it self back up under Svenja's grip. "I...I'm..." Tak stammered. 'Not listening' - wasn't that half the reason why she was so angry at Kaidan? Wasn't she just standing in his shoes now - on her high horse, judging what had happened with out any consideration for what had gone on? "Svenja," She said. "I'm...so sorry."

Svenja couldn't help it - a tear slid down her cheek. She reached out and touched her sister's face. None of the old scars were there, just a faint hint of the lines where new flesh had formed. She drew her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you. I would have given anything to be beside you when you needed me, even when you didn't, but it just wasn't possible. I'm sorry."

"It's been so long, Ja." She held her sister "So much has changed. You've cut your hair."

Svenja chuckled. "You haven't changed at all. You still hit like a girl."

"Like a girl that can knock you on your ass, Miss Sentinel." Her hug slipped into a playful headlock and she ruffled her baby sister's hair. Tak looked at her ship mates. Some scattered, a few stayed.

"Alright." Shepard said putting her commander voice back on. "Get out of here, you lot." The last of them wandered away with a few mumbled excuses.

Joker laughed to himself. "That is either the sweetest or the sexiest thing I've ever seen," He said, looking at Shepard and the girl that was almost her mirror image.

Both women turned at his words, both sharing the same slightly surly expression where he wasn't sure if they saw the humour, or they were going to rip him a new one. The same eyebrow rose. Joker got chills.

"Come up to my cabin." Tak told her sister. "We can talk there."

Svenja nodded, and shot Joker a glare as they turned to leave. "You let your helmsman talk smack often? He better fly like a bastard."

She patted her sister on the back, once upon a time those would have been her words. Her crew and her life had taught her a lot of tolerance of people's idiosyncrasies. "Joker's the best there is. The mouth, that's just part of his charm."

"Bet it's not ALL his charm..." Svenja glanced back over her shoulder. She waited until they'd entered the elevator before adding, "You've got yourself a fairly good looking crew here, sis. Intentional?"

"The base staff are not my choice, neither are the Cerberus operatives. Everyone else, old friends, and a few new ones." She shot her sister a cheeky smile "I never noticed the looks."

"Balls you didn't," Svenja shot back with a grin. The doors slid open as they reached the uppermost level. "After you, sis."

The door to the captain's cabin opened. Tak lead the way down the small set of stairs past the empty fish tank, past the glass case of the ship replicas. Tak herself approached her closet. The dent in her armour was driving her up the wall. "If you don't mind, I'm going to change while we talk. Did you need some clothes?" Mud and blood stains showed up clearly on Svenja's brilliant yellow Eclipse armour.

"Please. I would like nothing better than to burn this damn uniform." The Eclipse sisterhood, though they'd been a part of her life for some years now, represented the life that she and Tak had left behind when they joined the Alliance. It hadn't been easy, to take up a place in the local band when it had been offered, but after it had been made clear she was no longer welcome in her "home" she hadn't had much choice. Better a leader on the fringe than a bloodstain on the Presidium.

Tak watched her sister begin to shrug off the plates of her armour. She shook her head, still no shame, and began to go through the same motions. "I have to say I'm glad it was Eclipse, and not some low life merc band like the suns. Shows you've still got some smarts."

Svenja sniggered. "Yep. I tried out for the Blood Pack but y'know, I just couldn't compete with those Vorcha. And, well, the fact that I'm not a Krogan stands out." She dropped the upper plates of her armour to the floor, relieved to lose the weight. One less thing on her shoulders - metaphorically and physically. She stretched, and began removing the rest of her gear. "I didn't know what to do when I was dumped on Illium. I bummed around for a bit, then had a run-in with a new Eclipse recruit in a bar. She came out worse off, and I wound up with a job offer." She still wasn't sure why she'd accepted that offer - it had offended her at first, made her sick to think of working for a soulless merc group. But at least they'd wanted her, even if only for her biotics. It hadn't been long before she rose in the ranks - her training had been good for something, at least.

"I guess the Reds taught us one thing," Tak said pulling on her pants on. She slipped the Cerberus jacket on but didn't do it up. She sat on her bed. Legs apart, elbows resting on her knees, hands hanging loose. "we learnt how to survive." She sighed. "I just don't understand why after all those years held by Cerberus, they wouldn't want you back." Tak shook her head; the thought of a council member in Cerberus' pocket was scary, but not surprising. The Illusive Man had many fingers in many pies. "Either way, I'm glad you're back."

"I have a feeling they got what they wanted. Their experiments were obviously a success, so the loss of one test subject wasn't a big problem. Or not their biggest, anyway – besides, they made sure I couldn't go back to where I came from..." She trailed off. She really didn't want to tell her sister about what she'd done, but she deserved to know. "Tak...there were others. We all got caught, cut up and put back together, and when I left..." She swallowed. "I left them behind. Toombs was in the next room, and I just left him there. I couldn't stop. Once I was free, I had to get out, fuck whoever else was there too." Her hands were shaking. She'd seen Toombs on her way out, and he'd seen her. He'd been crazy, but he'd seen her. He KNEW she wasn't coming for him.

"You did what you had to." Tak took her sister's trembling hands; she knew too well the burden of heavy decisions. "No one else would have done anything differently."

"Tak, you don't know..." Svenja shook her head. Tak didn't need to know. "Never mind. It's done. Done, and I'll burn them for it one day."

Tak smiled reassuringly to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder . "No, I don't know little sis, but I can relate." Her words were quiet, slow; far gentler than Tak's usual 'Shepard tone'.

"And I want to help. With anything."

Svenja smiled. "I know." She pulled her sister in for another hug. "It's so good to see you, sis. When we're settled a bit, there's something we need to talk about."


	4. Shepard sisters Discoveries

_She pulled her sister in for another hug. "It's so good to see you, sis. When we're settled a bit, there's something we need to talk about."_

"Commander Shepard." EDI's mechanized voice, breaking the girls out of their conversation. "The Illusive man wishes to speak with you in the briefing room."

Shepard stood doing up her coat. She looked at her sister "I don't think we will be having the talk tonight." She lay a hand on her shoulder "make yourself at home. There's a shower a bed, have a breather or a sleep. I have to go to work."

Shepard straightened her hair in the lift. Tidied her jacked making sure it was all done up. Thankfully she wasn't the crying sort so she didn't have any red puffy eyes, it was all the Illusive man needed to see was her vulnerable, he already knew how to push her buttons he didn't need to see it when it worked. Tak always tried to be a contained woman, when people knew what you cared about they had a tendency to use it against you.

She approached relay system and was immediately scanned.

She always loved the look of the Illusive man's room. The fiery supernova behind him, his wide expanse of a room. Colours licking at the floor and Tainting his silvery hair. Pity the Illusive man was such a jack ass he had good tastes. Like normal his small glass of scotch sat in his left hand, his cigarette in his left.

"You are supposed to be collecting the Justicar for your mission." He said calmly his robotic silver eyes locking on to her as she stood motionless in front of him.

"I gained another Dossier that I had to act on right away." Her tone was formal, not as Snippy as usual with him. He noticed this he looked up at her.

"I thought how I went about forming my team was my business." She finished

He took a long drag on his cigarette "It is, I was just wondering how Svenja was doing?"

Shepard didn't flinch. Of course he knew, even if Miranda didn't tell him. He was the Illusive man after all.

"She's fine now. Tired a bit bruised."

"Mostly from you not the collectors I take it."

Shepard swallowed, she put her hands behind her back, and he wasn't supposed to know that.

"We had an Altercation." She said plainly

He smiled "sisterly love is more complicated that most think."

She eyed him for a minute. Neither intimated by the other, she was trying to get a read on what he was thinking. The illusive mans Poker face was better than hers.

"What's this about." She said finally his calm yet cocky demeanour was driving her mental "if you think that for one minute, she's back in your hands your wrong. Its going to take an army for you to take my sister away from me again."

He chuckled "you're a very passionate woman, dedicated to a cause." Again the cigarette met his lips "it's refreshing. So many people in this world roll over."

He was being cryptic again she rolled her eyes.

"Svenja has played her part, and I couldn't think of a safer place to keep her than with her loving older sister. Until she is needed again."

Tak's hands gripped each other tightly behind her back, the white knuckles would have given away her true feelings if he could see them.

"This is to do with the experiments on the survivors of akuze."

"You're the only survivor of Akuze." His voice was sickly smooth.

"Don't dick me around." She said flatly

He signed and took a sip of his drink "this is to do with Lazarus project."

Shepard frowned he was being up front but that made him more confusing than when he was taking her for a ride.

"As in my resurrection." Her words were slow as the thoughts gelled in her mind "no you can't have known, No one knew about the reapers then, that was 11 years ago."

"Akuze was a test." He continued neither confirming nor denying her fears. "Reaction, skill, discipline, we had to find the best. Weed out the weak from the strong"

Shepard's hands dropped, she knew they were testing the reactions of her squad, the thought of that made her sick, but to intentionally kill those who weren't what they considered strong was a monstrosity.

"When you survived and we found your sister. It was like we had been given a gift."

Tak's Body went numb as it dawned on her.

"You made sure the Lazarus project would work by using it on my sister."

"You two are so alike, Looks, Strength, Intelligence even though you'd never believe it. It's a pity height wise you weren't similar." The Illusive man leaned back in his chair. Tak Shepard was putty in his hands. He liked to keep it that way.

She was a forced to be reckoned with, a personality fuelled by honour and anger, Driven forward by dedication. She never cared for her own personal safety. But she did have a few weaknesses

"What did you do to her?"

"It was more like what she gave to you."

Tak's Tongue held fast in her mouth. All she could do was listen to the atrocities that was spilling forth from the illusive man.

"There is only so much one can rebuild from a corps. Cloned organs can take years to be strong enough to function, and still there's a risk that they will never be as good as the original. Shepard you're too important to be functioning at anything other than one hundred present. We learned all this thanks to the experiments, those brave soldiers giving so much to better humanities chances.

We learned Transplantation was the only way, and thanks to your sister. We had a compatible donor."

The blood leached out of Tak's Face, her head felt light, she wanted to vomit, she tried to say something but nothing was working, her mouth opened and closed, what could she say.

"An eye, heart, Liver, lets just say a lot of your internal organs are hers. We did bring medical science forward one hundred years with the transplant technology and organ cloning testing which mean we could keep her alive. But it wasn't good enough for you."

"You son of a bitch, your not god you don't get to pick and chose which sisters better. She's a person. They all are people, they had families, lives and you tore that away from them." Her voice was quiet and shaken.

"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."

"No." she said top lip curling in disgust with the man in front of her. "The end does not justify the means. I don't want to save humanity just to find out we're the monsters. You have no right. I swear the day I find you I'll…"

He sad forward in his seat his obscure eyes locking with hers. "You'll what Shepard? Do you really think Svenja was good enough to escape on her own? It was part of a plan. I couldn't risk the damage it would do to that tenacious personality of yours, instead we put in a-" he paused thinking for the right word "Kill switch for your younger sister."

Shepard half laughed watching her freedoms slip away with every word he spoke "you've had this planned for years." Her fists were still balled her back was still rigid, her body held the aggression from her previous words. "I'll find away." She said her eyes never leaving his "you think your so safe but I'll find your gilded cage."

The Illusive man nonchalantly drew on his cigarette and let the smoke listlessly drip from his mouth. "Tell me Shepard, How many people have you watched die? How many friends have you lost? Jenkins, Williams, Kaidan refuses to speak with you."

"He's not-" She cut herself off, why was she retorting, why was she letting it get to her.

"How many more would you like to lose Tailyka Shepard? Who is left out of your so called friends? Tali? Garrus? I see you're making friends with Thane and Subject Zero. What if something happened to our Gifted yet somewhat fragile pilot?"

"You leave him out of this." She snapped, and watching his smile she immediately regretted it. Her hand was shown.

"If I have to hurt people to keep you under control I will."

Shepard's heart was beating hard. "you best do all that is in your power to keep those people alive. With out them, I have no reason to keep myself or any one else alive. In which case, the reapers won't be your biggest threat any more."

She disconnected the line.

Numb detached from her body she walked from the briefing room and made a quick line for the elevator.

"Commander Shepard." Kelly said stopping her "we haven't had any new co-ordinates yet."

Shepard searched her brain, pushing aside her personal issues for that moment to think of where they had to go.

"Illium." She said plainly, the Illusive man what right they were suppose to pick up the Justicar.

"Yes ma'am."

She backed away from the CIC and into the elevator. Crossing her arms across her chest she leant against the back wall. The Illusive man was devious, Ruthless but in no way was he a liar. The truth was horrible enough, she was the reason her sister had been tortured all those years, every scar on her body she may as well have cut her self. Now the Illusive man was threatening her friends, every bond she made was at risk.

She exited the elevator and saw Svenja. Both sisters froze on the landing before the cabin.

"Thanks for the offer of the room sis, but its" Svenja paused thinking of the word "a bit over furnished for what I'm use to. So I'm going to go down to the engineering deck and see if I can find my self a little 6x4 room down there." 

Tak nodded and smiled weakly. "Sure, you make your self comfortable where you need to."

Svenja saw the pain on her sister's face but didn't ask. If it was something to do with the illusive man she was probably better off not knowing. She hugged her instead and they parted company for the evening.

Tak entered her room, the music was off the whole room was silent. She turned the corner and slid the bathroom door open. Turning on the shower she stripped. Her body was no longer her own, taken in part from her sister. But how was it there were no marks. The fluorescent lights reflected off her pale skin. She looked in the mirror, it was still her face but defining points were missing.

The scar down her cheek from a knife fight at 13. The one on her lip from the Asari commando when she was 17. She even missed the scar on her eyebrow; playing with nun chucks at the age of 7 she hit herself in the head so hard she needed 9 stiches. Stupid on her behalf but still a part of her.

Even the Hook shaped birth mark from her back was gone, the gash down the side of her Leg from falling of a building and hitting every sharp and pointy object on the way down. The slices around her ankle from blundering through a barbed wire fence, and the 4 cigarette burns on her wrist. Like Cerberus had tried to rub her history off her body. She turned on the shower, the hot water pushing her hair down against her face, running over her. She sat down on the floor; she lent against the wall and tucked her legs up close to her, hugging them. She felt that familiar sinking feeling in her heart. But it wasn't her heart, Svenja's heart. Was she the cause of so much pain? She sat listening to the sound of the water hitting her and the shower below. She barely noticed the tears mixing with the shower water.

Svenja lay awake that night for some time. _What a day, girl..._ She rolled onto her back and folded her arms across her belly, fingers tracing the scar running up her abdomen. It stretched from just below her navel to her sternum where it split into two branches, each reaching nearly to the shoulder. Vivisection was what they used to call it – and it hadn't been heard of in centuries. Good ol' Cerberus, bringing back primodial techniques in the name of progress. Thankfully, she'd never been awake for the procedures, but the memories from that time still made her sick.

She opened her eyes, still groggy, eyelids heavy from the anaesthesia. She wanted to scratch her right leg, but couldn't reach. She closed her eyes again for a moment, then turned her head to look at the door. Closed, like always. She'd been trying to keep track of time since she'd been here, but time spent unconscious made it difficult. At a rough guess, she'd say six months. Looking at the other corners of the room, nothing had changed. White, clinical, sterile. A datapad sat on the desk to her right. An IV stand fed fluid into the veins at the back of her left hand, just below the restraints. They'd done something to her biotics – some kind of drug, she supposed. Each time she'd tried to use her energy, she'd had a stab of crippling pain at the base of her skull. Must be what an L2 feels like, she thought.

There was a muffled yell from the room beyond hers. She wasn't sure who was in there, but he screamed a lot. Not in pain, she didn't think, he screamed for too long and at random intervals – he often screamed when he was alone. She wasn't sure he was still stable – poor guy. She wondered who it was. Jenssen? Berger? Lincoln? Not that it mattered. She wasn't in any position to get up and help him. She lifted her head and let it drop back onto the pillow. She had no idea what had happened to Tak – with any luck, she had died quickly. They'd been separated after the Thresher breached the surface, taking the entire unit by surprise. It was the first time humans had come into contact with the beasts – the only reason they'd recognised it was from horror stories passed on from other races. At least, they thought that's what it was. God help them if there was another kind of worm that size. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears. It was too much to hope that her sister had made it off Akuze – but if anyone could, it was Tak.

The sound of footsteps tapping down the corridor outside her door caught her attention. Ten metres...five...they stopped at her door and she watched it slide open. A woman entered, datapad and kit in hand. She didn't bother making eye contact. She lay the datapad beside its mate on the desk, and checked the restraints at her chest and left wrist. Not the right, though. That was odd. Svenja turned her gaze to her right wrist, and her heart nearly stopped beating. Her wrist wasn't there. Her entire arm, from mid bicep, was missing. She nearly threw up. She hadn't even noticed – how the hell did that happen? _When_ did that happen? She thought frantically – last time she'd been awake, all four limbs were where they should have been. She barely noticed the woman in her room draw back the sheets to inspect her as she tried to make sense of things in her mind. A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach compelled her to look down to where the woman was working. She wished she hadn't. Both of her legs were gone.

Her right leg still itched.

Svenja absentmindedly scratched her right leg. Sleeping wasn't going so well tonight. She rose, stretched, and strode across the room. Maybe a snack would help her sleep. Actually, on second thought...bile was starting to rise in her gullet. Dammit! She quickened her pace and made a beeline for the restrooms down the corridor. She made it, just.

After her stomach had stopped heaving, she rested her head on the back of her hand and tried to slow her breathing. Thinking about Akuze was distressing, but she'd stopped throwing up years ago – the day must have been rougher on her than she thought. She was still trying to make sense of the fact that Tak was alive. She didn't want to tell her about the tests, but knowing her, she'd find out eventually. She sighed. She'd keep it to herself as long as she could. They were on shaky enough ground as it was, the last thing Tak needed was to worry about her sister on top of everything else.

She lay, numb, as the woman finished examining the stumps at mid thigh. She was in shock. First the surgery, now this? What the hell was going on? It wasn't torture, it couldn't be – she was put under for every procedure, and was kept under observation every minute. What were they trying to achieve? She could ask, of course, but so far all enquiries had been met with stony silence. One of the men had flinched when she spoke to him, but otherwise she might have been speaking a different language. Useless. That was just after she'd awoken to find her torso stitched shut in the familiar Y shape she'd seen on cop shows and films her whole life. She felt bizarre after that – the incision healed quickly, leaving minimal (but obvious) scarring, but it was as if she was...improved. She couldn't put her finger on it, and maybe it was just the fact that she knew they'd been inside her, fucking with her internal organs, but she was sure something was different.

The woman punched something into her datapad and adjusted the IV, then left. After the door had closed, Svenja raised her head again. Her truncated legs looked bizarre under the sheet. There was no pain, though. Just that damn itch. She closed her eyes and lay her head back on the pillow. She could feel the familiar fatigue spreading throughout her body. _Again...that was quick._

The next time she awoke, she had two arms. Two fully functional, matching arms. There was a small scar around her bicep, but otherwise she was back to normal. She wondered if it had been a dream. She looked down at her body. Nope. Not a dream. Still no legs. Maybe she was crazy, like the screamer next door. She had to get out of here.

She spat into the toilet bowl and flushed, standing. After a quick rinse of her mouth she decided to go check out the mess anyway – it was as good a time as any. The crew deck's common areas were deserted, only the dim glow from EDI's terminals giving any sign of life. After a quick bite and pilfering a bottle of water, she rose and took a quick tour. Med bay, Operative Lawson's office – she knew better than to poke around there unannounced. Taking a swig of water she opened the door to the main battery, and just about choked when she realised she wasn't alone.

"Sorry! I didn't think anyone else was awake!" The turian – Garrus – turned in surprise at her voice.

"Shep- Svenja. No bother, I'm just doing some calibrations before the morning shift come on." It was eerie, the resemblance between the sisters. Same red hair, same resolute set to the jaw, nearly the same haircut even. Svenja looked pale and shaken, and exhausted. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little rough." She also looked cold – she wore only a thin black shirt and underwear.

Svenja winced. She hadn't really planned on socialising with anyone at this hour, let alone after tossing up her breakfast. She was also painfully aware she wasn't wearing any pants. "I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping. Eventful day, y'know?" She inched back towards the door.

Garrus nodded. He did know. He'd been there when Shepard had thrown her sister across the bridge – he was surprised she'd been able to stand after that. Most humans wouldn't. "So," he turned from his workstation to face her. "Good to be back with your sister? After the initial hiccups, I mean." He grinned. "It was a fairly impressive reunion."

Svenja grinned back. "Yeah, it's always been like that with us. I love Tak more than anything, but sometimes she has difficulty engaging her brain. Anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt – I'd better head back to bed." Back to her nightmares.

"All right. See you 'round, Svenja – it'll be good to have you on board. We're all looking forward to finding out about Shepard's shady past, so if you feel like parting with some incriminating information, you know where to find me."

Cheeky! Svenja liked the turian already. She laughed. "Ask her how she got her eyebrow scar – if she still has it. Goodnight, Garrus." She turned and made her way back to her room. _Dammit...next time, Svenja, put some damn pants on!_

Tak Paced, back and forward in her room. The shock had settled the tears had passed; now the more familiar of her emotions was rising to the surface. She was angry, Furious, she felt caged and worse manipulated. She chewed her thumbnail what she needed was to work. Focus her mind, she knew she couldn't fixate on these things or she would never find a way to make it right. The Illusive man wasn't a problem for right now, he was something that was going to take time.

As if some how the gods had heard her, the familiar chime from her computer sounded. She had a message. The Illusive man, still using her as his little errand boy.

_From: Illusive Man  
Shepard,_

One of our cells just went off the grid without explanation. Project Overlord has been experimenting with highly volatile technology, and I need you to investigate. Their work is extremely compartmentalized, enough that I can't divulge operational details over this channel. You'll find them on the planet Aite, Typhon system, in the Phoenix Massing cluster. Please use care in this matter.

Another of his pet projects going astray. She would take care of it with pleasure.


End file.
